Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
W armth radiated through every part of me like a blissful hum tingling my skin. I snuggled further into it, allowing myself to be consumed.
Peering through bleary eyes, I curiously studied my fingers. Why were they entangled with someone else’s? My fingers involuntarily twitched; the tiny spasms somewhat restricted by their current glorious prison.
As sleep slowly unfurled its fangs, I became aware of an unfamiliar yet comfortable weight curling over the side of my waist, following the curve of my body before falling across my stomach.
Shifting my weight, I tried to wiggle myself free, instead, I became increasingly aware that I was pinned to a wall of hard, rippled muscles that completely shadowed the length of my body. And the wiggling was only achieving a series of unsolicited moans.
“If you don’t stop that, we’re going to have a problem.” Sebastian’s voice was still rough with sleep.
Oh. My. Gods.
My eyes flew open, heart thundering in my chest. The first thing I saw was the arm wrapped around my waist, flames licked across his golden skin in inky whorls, as if his body still held the heat of last night–shimmering faintly like embers that refused to die.
Then I saw the body it belonged to–all muscle and heat, carved from fire and familiarity. Every inch of him curved around me like he belonged here. Like I belonged to him.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Last night came crashing back with merciless clarity—the blood, the screaming, the blade in my hand. The fury that had taken over me. The way Maalikai had pulled me back from the edge when I didn’t even recognize myself. The way he’d touched me after… not just with his hands, but like he saw all the darkness in me and wasn’t afraid.
Like he was drawn to it.
He embraced the shadow curled around my soul.
But then Sebastian had walked in—seething, broken, unapologetically laying claim to my soul.
And I had let him.
Let him hold me through the storm swirling through my veins. Let him crawl into my bed and wrap around me like he belonged there.
Because he did.
Gods, I hadn’t even tried to stop him. Not because I wanted to forget Maalikai—but because I was undeniably his .
But the weight of last night still pressed down on me—heavy with consequence, but not with clarity. I hadn’t chosen between them.
Not really.
I’d chosen Sebastian in the moment, because he needed me. Because if I hadn’t let him in, he would’ve lost control. Would’ve shattered.
And that would’ve broken me.
But that didn’t mean I’d made a choice. Not about who I wanted more. It only meant I’d tried to survive the wreckage of everything breaking around me–by holding on to the one person who felt like salvation when I was drowning.
And now… I couldn’t pretend it didn’t mean something. That it didn’t mean everything. In the light of morning, the implications were painfully clear. I would have to ultimately choose between them.
For the second time, I tried to squirm free from Sebastian’s grip, and for the second time, I failed miserably. A sleepy groan rumbled against my shoulder.
“You’re not seriously trying to escape me right now,” his deliciously sexy voice entangled itself around my heart.
“Bastian.” I hissed his name, mortified.
His grip only tightened, fingers flattening across my stomach like he’d already claimed me, his bare chest warming my back. “Please don’t leave. Not yet.”
The vulnerability in his voice wrecked me. Gods, I didn’t want to take this from him. But time wasn’t on our side.
“I would, but I need to get dressed.”
“I could let you,” he drawled, voice still thick with sleep, “but I really like you right here.” His voice wrapped around my heart like a vice. And yet, his grip loosened, releasing me from my glorious prison.
I scrambled to my feet, snatching the sheet to wrap around myself like armor—uncertain if I was hiding Maalikai’s shirt, I still wore, or the fact that I wore nothing beneath it.
“You’re impossible,” I muttered.
“Yet, you let me sleep next to you,” he said, sitting up with that crooked, maddening grin. Hair tousled. Golden eyes half-lidded. Infuriatingly beautiful. “Voluntarily, I might add.”
“You barged in,” I spat, spinning toward the wardrobe.
“And yet, you still chose me .”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “ Bastian. ”
His weight may have lifted, but a new heaviness settled in its place. This shouldn’t feel like shame. Sebastian wasn’t a secret. But the weight of my decision pressed against me all the same.
I knew what the consequences would be—the whispers, the judgment. For choosing him and Maalikai. Even if it had only been for one night.
The thought alone made me want to crumble.
I needed space. I needed distance before I lost myself completely. Because Elinthia help me, I wasn’t sure I could resist Sebastian if he genuinely made a move on me—and I knew it was a sin to want them both.
I yanked open the wardrobe, praying for something that wouldn't humiliate me. My closet, which had been stocked by my aunty, was an explosion of frills, but I found a black dress that was only mildly offensive. Except for the neckline, which dipped way too low, and the sequins, which sparkled like constellations.
I pulled it out anyway.
“Close your eyes,” I hissed.
“You want me to close my eyes after sleeping next to you in that?” He smirked, utterly unapologetic.
A ghost of a smile tipped up my lips as I remembered the delicate touches that shadowed my body as he slept next to me, stroking me like I was a Goddess and all he wanted was to worship me. It took everything not to shatter my resolve.
I tried my best at presenting an unwavering facade, not dignifying him with a response. I just rose as a brow.
“Fine.” He relented, rolling over and placing a pillow over his face for good measure.
I dropped the sheet, discarded the shirt, and slipped into the dress. But the laces slipped through my fingers, stubborn and impossible.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Clutching the bodice to my chest, I closed the distance between us. “I need your help,” I whispered.
“You mean you need my incredibly talented hands all over your body?” he said, muffled by the pillow.
Oh. My. Gods.
“Seriously, Bastian.” Red stained my cheeks at the thought of snuggling back into his rock-hard body.
“What? Not even a please? And I’m the one supposedly being difficult?” The amusement in his voice was infuriating.
“Please,” I gritted out.
“I’m sorry, I need to hear that with a little more desperation.”
Using one hand, I ripped the pillow off his face and threw it at him, the other cradling the bodice tightly to my chest. “Up. Now.”
He sat up, stretching like a damn feline predator—fluid and lethal. His gaze dragged over me with zero shame, his liquid amber eyes instantly heating me and setting my core on fire.
“Gods, you’re stunning when you’re angry.”
“Dress,” I warned, my eyes flashing.
“It’s kind of hard when I can’t open my eyes.” He covered his eyes with his hand for emphasis, a smirk curling his lips.
The pillow struck him a second time as I hurled it at him. “Stop being so Gods-damn infuriating and help me into this dress.”
His eyes trailed over me again, lingering too long on the swell of my breasts. “Or I could help you get out of it…”
“You’re impossible.” Drawing in a sharp breath, I dropped to my knees, imploring him, eyes pleading.
I hesitated before touching him—one palm on his arm—and instantly flushed as heat surged through me. My gaze flickered to his and faltered at the sight of heat that matched the burning of my insides. This boy had the power to ruin me with a single look.
“Please. I need to get dressed.”
His amber gaze darkened, the flecks of black intensifying as he looked at me, like I was stripped bare.
His voice turned quiet. Almost careful. "You’re only hesitating because of him, aren't you?”
Oh Gods.
“Please don’t cross that line.”
In one swift movement, he pulled me into his lap, his arms snaking around my waist. Teeth scraped over my exposed skin as he splattered kisses across my shoulders, each one claiming another part of me I didn't know he hadn’t laid claim to.
“Bastian—” I gasped, my body betraying me with every aching breath.
“Can I ask you something?” His voice was soft, laced with something fragile.
I wasn’t sure if I had the answers he so desperately craved. And Gods, I was terrified of the question he might ask–because I didn’t want to break him.
“I can’t promise I can answer them,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“Do you want to be with me?” Vulnerability seeped into every word, opening up to hurt that I knew would destroy him.
“Bastian…” His name slipped from me like a plea. I couldn’t answer. Not without betraying the feelings I had for Maalikai.
“Okay, then…" He took a stuttered breath. "How about this? Do you want me to touch you?”
Holy Nexus, how was I meant to answer that?
My entire body burned. I was already wet, already pulsing with need. How could I lie?
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t be fair. To him .”
“It wouldn’t be fair to you,” he whispered, “if you didn’t get to feel both of us before deciding.”
My heart stuttered.
His fingers slid up my thigh, pausing. Waiting for my permission. A heartbeat of silence passed between us and then another. The air was thick with the need, the yearning. It was impossible to deny.
“Em?” he asked again.
A breathy moan escaped me, and I leaned the back of my head against his shoulder. “I don't know." I whispered.
His growl vibrated through me. “Stop sending mixed signals.”
This was probably the worst idea ever, but I had lost the tethers of my control, I couldn't resist him any longer. “What I do know is I'm sick of fighting against what I so desperately want.”
"And what do you want?"
" You ."
And then he was kissing me—deep, demanding—and I was lost to him.
The slip on my restraint faltered. “Touch me.”
His voice came out in a low rumble. “Are you sure?”
“Please touch me.” I hated how my voice came out as a fevered plea.
Fingers slipped the rest of the way up my thigh and dove under my panties, testing me as he slid his fingers expertly across my clit before dipping lower.
“Gods.” The word left me like a prayer.
His lips captivated mine, kissing me in the most incapacitating way. Dexterous fingers continued their assault, occasionally diving into my depths, bringing more unsolicited moans to my lips. My breath came hard and fast as he brought me closer and closer to the brink of the edge.
“Sebastian…”
Lightning lit the sky, the smell of smoke surrounded me.
Gods, I'd set something on fire.
A knock sounded on my door.
My head snapped up. “Shit.”
I pushed myself from Sebastian’s clutches, throwing my dress over my legs and putting a breath of distance between us. “Can you please do me up?”
Sebastian licked the two fingers he had used to delve into me. “But you taste so damn good.”
“Sebastian, please.” My words were panic-stricken.
Sighing, Sebastian pushed himself to his feet. Not wasting a second, he tied the laces of my dress with expert ease.
There was a second knock on the door.
“Just a second,” I yelled out, my voice cracking mid-sentence. I whipped around, facing Sebastian. “Where’s your shirt?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He shrugged a second time, offering no help whatsoever. Sleepy Sebastian was so fucking frustrating.
“Make yourself useful and help me find one.”
“I thought I was being useful.” Sebastian smirked as he sampled each finger that had just tasted me—this time with far too much enjoyment.
Without thinking, I flipped him off and spun toward the drawers, rummaging like I’d been possessed.
“If you don’t open this Gods-damn door,” Maalikai’s voice roared through the wood, “I’m going to break it down.”
My heart literally stopped.
Oh no.
No no no.
This was going to end so badly.
“Just—just give me a second!” I shouted, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
I turned to Sebastian. “Are you going to help me or not?” Desperation edged every word.
“Truthfully?” He leaned against the dresser like he had all the time in the world. “I’d much rather watch you squirm.”
“Of course you would,” I muttered.
But to his credit, he dropped to his knees, yanked open the bottom drawer, and pulled out a shirt. He rose to his feet just as the door exploded inward, shards of splintered wood flying.
“What the fuck?” Sebastian growled, going rigid.
“That was more than a second,” Maalikai said, his voice a thunderclap of fury.
His eyes raked over Sebastian’s bare chest with a level of disdain that could rival the wrath of Ezekiel.
“Got a problem?” Sebastian asked, already squaring up.
“Actually, I do.”
“It’s not like we were playing hide the pickle,” Sebastian said casually.
I choked. My face went up in flames. “Bastian.”
“Oh, sorry,” he added innocently. “I meant—sating the beast, slipping the pork sword into its sheath, draining the venom from the viper.”
“Sebastian!” My voice was a shrill squeak as I caught the pure murder in Maalikai’s eyes.
Sebastian just shrugged like Maalikai’s presence was barely worth noticing. “He didn’t acknowledge me, so I thought I’d help clarify. You did want me to be helpful didn’t you?”
I stepped between them, red-faced and fuming. “We didn’t have sex! I had sex with neither of you!”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Sebastian quipped. “Because judging by your little light show last night, I wasn’t impressed. Or maybe that’s why she chose me to stay–she needed someone who knew how to actually finish her.”
“I swear to the Gods, if you say one more word , I will strike you down with lightning where you stand.”
“I was just trying to be helpful.” Sebastian said, a dangerous smile flickering up the corner of his mouth, like he already knew how this would end.
“Like Nexus you were,” I snapped, my voice shaking. “You’re being childish.”
But I remembered Maalikai’s words from the night before. The ones about whose name I had screamed. And maybe I understood now. Maybe this was his way of leaving a mark—his own brand of reckless, desperate love.
Infuriatingly, Sebastian’s smile only grew.
“Do you hear that?” he said, cocking his head toward the hall. “Sounds like someone’s coming.”
My heart dropped. I turned toward the shattered doorframe.
Footsteps. Approaching fast.
Gods-damn it.
Sebastian took one slow, deliberate step toward Maalikai, eyes blazing.
“And just so you’re clear—” he said softly, “it was my name on her lips last.”
“I don’t think I want to know.” Startled, my gaze caught on the dark looming figure standing in the doorway–my uncle.
His eyes swept over the three of us, lingering on Sebastian–still shirtless. He didn’t say a word, but the crinkle at the corners of his eyes said everything.
Amused.
Knowing.
Dangerous.
“I see that you somehow got through a locked door, just add that to the list of defenses I will have to update to keep you out of trouble.” Uncle Thrainn’s words were serious, but his eyes glinted mischievously.
“I didn’t do anything,” I shot back.
His eyes travelled over Sebastian then landed on Maalikai.
Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, Maalikai looked entirely guilty. “Ah yeah, that may’ve been me.”
“Oh really, and what makes you think you can defy my orders?” Disapproval rumbled out of my uncle as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Maalikai straightened like this wasn’t the most awkward moment of my entire existence. “Thought someone might be... attacking.”
“Mmm.” Thrainn’s gaze drifted to Sebastian—still very shirtless, still very unbothered. “And was someone... attacking?”
Sebastian stretched, lazy and smug, his muscles somehow looking even more defined. “Only me, Chief. Just doing my duty—making sure Emylia was safe. And that all her needs were met.”
Maalikai’s jaw tensed.
“I see.” Thrainn looked back at me, and if he noticed my soul trying to evacuate my body, he didn’t comment. Instead, the faintest curve touched his lips.
“Well,” he said lightly, “if you’re done saving the day, perhaps next time—knock.”
I shot him a dirty look. The entire bazaar ambush was still fresh, and it was way too early for jokes. Especially this kind.
“Anything else I should know about?” he added, far too casual.
I gave him one of my cheeriest smiles—which, in itself, should’ve been a dead giveaway. I did not smile like a lunatic banshee this early in the morning.
Or, hopefully, ever.
Especially after our heated argument last night.
“Nope,” I said, voice high-pitched and unconvincing. “Nothing.”
“Nothing at all,” Sebastian added. “Emylia was just saying how she’s in the mood for pickles.”
Oh. My. Gods.
I was going to kill Sebastian.
Very slowly and very painfully.
“Triska might have some jars stashed away if you want me to ask for you?” The innocence of Uncle Thrainn’s words would’ve made me laugh if I wasn’t so mortified.
“No, thank you; suddenly, my craving seems to have shriveled up and died.” Picking up a pillow, I threw it at Sebastian, knocking him off balance. “Just like someone else I know will be joining it.”
Sebastian’s smile only grew wider. “Now, now, no need for nasty words.”
I was going to give him some nasty words in a second.
Before I could escape this beyond-awkward conversation, we were joined by Josephine and Evie—because why not?
Josephine’s bright-eyed enthusiasm turned glacial the second she caught sight of a still-shirtless Sebastian lounging in my room… and Maalikai, broody as sin, glaring daggers, while Thrainn stood like a boulder in the doorway, blocking any hope of escape.
Their gazes pinged between Maalikai, Sebastian, and me, and just like everyone else, they pieced it together in record time. No doubt their minds leapt straight to the most scandalous conclusion.
Gods. Did everyone in this house think I was that much of a hussy?
Okay—sure, maybe they weren’t completely wrong. But to believe I’d lost my virginity and slept with two guys in the span of a single day?
That was ludicrous .
“What’s going on here?” Josephine’s words were clipped as she looked directly at me with a look that could kill.
“We were just discussing Emylia’s craving for pickles.” My uncle chuckled.
Losing the ability to talk, I stared at him like he’d grown two heads. He was just as bad as Sebastian. When he saw my horror-stricken face, he gave me an apologetic shrug. “Well, we were.”
At a loss for words, I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m— I’m going to go say good morning to Stormfire.”
“I’ll go with you,” Sebastian offered.
Shooting Sebastian a dark look, I put up a hand, signaling him to stop. “I don’t think I can handle another conversation about pickles.”
“No pickles, I promise.”
A laugh escaped me. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Don’t be like that, I promise I’ll behave.” A familiar twinkle sparkled in Sebastian’s molten gold eyes.
I didn’t believe that for even half a second. But how could I refuse him?
“You don’t have shoes on,” I said, looking at his bare feet. A breath escaped me as I visibly relaxed. “Hurry up, before I change my mind.”
“It’s alright, I can escort her,” Maalikai said, his tone too smooth.
Sebastian stepped forward, jaw tight, voice razor-sharp, a snarl curling his lips. “Like fuck you will.”
Before Mallikai could so much as breathe a reply, Thrainn cut in, stepping forward with the weight of finality.
“No need. I’ll escort her. I need to speak with her anyway.” Thrainn moved to my side, delivering his words as an order, not a request.
This was going to be all kinds of fun.
Sebastian cringed but didn’t hesitate—leaving without argument. Uncle Thrainn and I followed, leaving a murderous Josephine, Evie, with barely hidden amusement and Maalikai—silent and unreadable, brooding in the shadows of my room, his gaze burning into me as I walked away.